100 Moments: Kratos and Anna
by Asatsuyu
Summary: A series of moments in Kratos and Anna's relationship; from its rocky beginning to its tragic end and all the happy moments in-between.
1. Introduction

AN. So begins one hundred moments with Kratos and Anna. I'm planning on writing their story in one-hundred serialized, but not necessarily connected chapters. I'll try to keep them in chronological order, but I don't know when I'll be hit with inspiration. ;)

I hope you enjoy my depiction Kratos and Anna's story. :3

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><p>Introduction.<p>

The early evening air was surprisingly warm and Kratos Aurion felt his eyebrows slide together in a slight scowl as he picked his way easily through the forest, overstepping low hanging branches and the occasional cluster of rocks. It had been over a week since he had descended from the sterile white and purple world of Derris Kharlan to the tree strewn, dirt covered land of Sylvarant. The angel was mildly surprised to find that he much preferred the imperfections of the real world to Mithos' vision of perfection.

_Yet another reason…_ Kratos' frown deepened as he continued his way through the forest aimlessly. Having decided not stay the night in towns, while Mithos was no doubt fretting about the location of Origin's Seal, had meant finding clearings in the woods as he worked his way across the waning world. He had been stunned (and later he realized, horrified) when he had heard of Mithos' plans for the inhabitants of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla – The Age of Lifeless Beings. He had been so unsettled by this revelation that he had fled the comet, though he doubted being back on the planets would do anything to convince him of the virtues of Mithos' ideals.

A soft whine broke Kratos from his reverie and he glanced down at Noishe his face relaxing from its perpetual scowl.

"You don't mind being down here, do you?" he asked his closest companion of many millennia in hushed tones and the arshis barked softly, almost silently, in assent, brushing his head against Kratos' half-gloved hand affectionately.

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><p>It was the warmth that was the most unsettling, Anna realized as she gingerly tried to heave the standard issue Desian butterfly sword from the belly of its owner. Her hands slipped across the hilt as she glanced down at the warm crimson blood soaking her hands and the front of her dirty gray smock. The atrophied muscles in her back and arms protested as she took a step back from the guard, her breath coming more quickly than she would have liked. As much as being armed would have been to her benefit, exhausting herself to the point where she couldn't move would make this golden opportunity worthless.<p>

She squatted down next to the guard and rummaged around his front before she felt her fingers brush the cool metal of the key card. Her excitement sparked as her heart leapt in her chest. This was nothing like her previous rebellions or escape attempts, she had a key and the layout of the ranch worked out in her mind. Others had made it out before and not even Kvar knew how. They were always found and killed immediately, but Anna was confident that she was smart enough to not head straight for Luin and into the Desians' traps.

She had been moved to solitary confinement earlier that day to find that another person had been thrown in the single row of isolation cells. The cells had solid walls except for the gated front, which did not offer complete isolation, but were much more private than the group cells that most host bodies were herded into. As her luck would have it, the captive in the other cell had lost his mind and starting making a mess out of the cell with his own bodily fluids. If there was anything the Desians hated, it was cleaning. Even making the humans clean messes meant they had to supervise and be near enough to smell. Making a mess always got them moving. As the guard had passed her cell on the way to man's she had grabbed him by the cloth of his armor and shoved a shiv made from a sharpened bit of wood she'd found working in the yard into his neck. He had collapsed in pain and surprise, unable to shout as the wood pierced his trachea. She had then grabbed his sword from its sheath as he fell and ran him through with it.

As she glanced over her shoulder now, looking towards the cell the man had occupied, it was eerily quiet after what had seemed like hours of screaming, thrashing and the squelching sound of fluid on the slick floors.

Anna slipped through the doors easily enough and clutched the key card tightly in her sweat and blood covered palm as she came up to what was the first branch in the hallways. Left. She continued down the hallway as quickly and quietly as she could, staying close the walls where she knew the cameras had blind spots. She had seen the screens in Kvar's offices before. A part of her 'privileged' status as a living member of the Angelus project meant she was led to wherever Kvar wanted so he could inspect her stone personally. She had learned quickly that they could watch nearly all activity on the ranch, but she'd also learned that they were arrogant in their confidence and intelligence. No doubt they couldn't even imagine a mere human being able to figure out their technology, let alone its weaknesses.

As she turned right around the second corner her heart jolted in her chest, her arms and legs flinching in surprise as the ear splitting sound of the alarm echoed across the ranch, a bright red light flashing at every corner. She winced as she ran the last several paces to another door, swiping it open, coming face to face with a stunned Desian.

His hand immediately reached for his whip and Anna felt her heart rate spike as she put all her weight on one foot and kneed the man between the legs as hard as she could. He crumpled to the ground. Elation bloomed in her chest at the simple act of retaliation and spread to a smile on her face, the unfamiliar expression caused her chapped lips to crack painfully. She licked her lips gingerly, grimacing slightly at the metallic tang of blood in her mouth. She hurried over him and past the control panel at the center of the room ignoring the throbbing ache of the tired muscles across her legs and stomach.

She glanced up at the vent that, ranch legend held, led out into the forest beyond the gates. The grid slid easily to the side and she took a deep calming breath before beginning the process of hauling herself up into the metal vent. Her arms protested as she kicked and managed to swing a knee onto the edge of the vent and scramble the rest of the way into small rectangular passage. Crushing herself against one edge she was able to reach forward and slide the grill back into place. Taking in a deep gasp of air she turned around and began crawling her way forward and down as the vent sloped slightly underground.

She felt the paradox of being helpless and free at the same time cause a swirl of nausea to rise in her stomach. The blackness of the vent was terrifying, she could see nothing of her surroundings, only feel the inky wind as it pressed against her heavily and the metal of the vent on her hands and knees.

Anna shivered slightly as the blood on her smock was caking slightly to the skin on her stomach, the small space of the air shaft leaving her with only her thoughts and anxieties. She had killed that guard and it scared her how little taking a life bothered her. She bit her bloodied lip gingerly as she stopped for a moment to rub her hands along her bare arms, her calloused fingers catching on the scrapes and scars that traced across most of her body. It was cold and dark in the tunnel and she was completely blind in the darkness, moving only by touch, her sense of smell overwhelmed by her own rankness and the blood that covered her.

She felt relief begin to set in as a rush of fresher smelling air blew past her from the direction she was headed. The vent had no branches at this point and she continued along the metal passage, her light weight barely making a sound against the tinny material.

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><p>The sun was setting across the forest outside of Luin, staining the evergreen trees with the orange shades of the dying sun and Kratos watched the shadows of the trees with interest. How long had it been since he'd enjoyed the setting sun? He was amazed with himself and his self-imprisonment on Derris-Kharlan as he absently studied the stark shadows of the pine needles against the dusty dirt ground. Noishe's loud bark reverberated around the small cluster of trees around them and the arshis leapt off through the forest quickly and Kratos frowned after his friend before continuing after him. He knew that if the protozoan wasn't running at breakneck speeds he wanted Kratos to follow.<p>

Kratos trailed Noishe across nearly a mile of forest before they reached another clearing and Kratos felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck, they were encroaching on Desian territory – Mithos' territory.

"Noishe!" he called after him and the green and white dog whined in response. He was snuffling and snorting with interest around a large boulder and Kratos sighed as he walked forward and kneeled down next to the boulder, Noishe still sniffing around him. "What…" Kratos muttered under his breath and he spotted the vent hidden behind the boulder and he felt a wry smirk slip onto his face. Was this Mithos' subordinate's idea of security, a vent hidden by a rock? The smile fell rapidly as his angelic hearing picked up soft breathing from the vent and he stared at it before glancing over at the arshis who had, during Kratos' investigation, run around to the other side of the rock and was still sniffing and whining at it.

Noishe then began to nudge his head against the boulder and the giant rock shifted slightly under the war dog's strength. Kratos took a step back and watched with some amazement as the rock was pushed to the side. He walked around to stand in front of what was left of the air vent, the grating had been destroyed through weathering and age, a large hole was all that remained.

Noishe padded back a few steps to stand behind Kratos as he watched the vent astutely, his canine gaze not wavering. Kratos put a hand on the pommel of his sword as he waited with his long time friend. It was the least he could do to allow Noishe his curiosities, after keeping him enclosed within Welgaia for four millennia as his entire species died out.

He took a half a step back as a brown blur emerged from the dark hole of the vent and he hardly had time to react as the figure crashed into his chest. Kratos stumbled backwards a few steps as the small form collapsed against him and he felt his instincts act as he caught what he subconsciously recognized as a human from the ranch.

The captive struggled slightly against his hold before glancing up at him and Kratos felt surprise flit across his thoughts. It was a woman, her exsphere had been implanted in her chest rather than her hand and Kratos gave her a curious glance as she took a step back and fell down onto the dirt, a small cloud of dust rising from around her.

She stared up at him, her hazel eyes standing out green against her dirtied, bloody form and Kratos watched her silently, staring back down at her and she glanced behind her at the now empty shaft. Kratos felt the cold weight of guilt in his chest at the fear in her face. He had created and helped maintain this world; he had a duty to every living thing on this world.

He kneeled down holding a hand out to the human and she glanced at him suspiciously, her eyebrows slanting ever so slightly as she inspected him. Her expression relaxed and she grabbed onto his hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

Kratos felt the nerves in his hand twitch at her touch. Human contact after so many years of isolation caused his instincts to jolt at the warmth and life her hand contained. Her hand was very small in his and worn from hard labor. He resisted the instinctive urge to analyze her further and he turned his gaze back in the direction of the ranch.

The alarms had increased in volume and Kratos' angelic hearing could easily pickup the wails from across the grounds as well as the distant shuffling of plate mail and weapons as battalions started to move from the Asgard Human Ranch.

"We should go." He spoke to her curtly and she blinked at him once before glancing over her shoulder quickly and she looked up at him again, her mouth parted in wonder.

_"Thank you." _ Her voice cracked with emotion and Kratos felt an unfamiliar warmth in his chest as he let her go and led her quickly across the forest leaving Noishe to roll the stone back in place.

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><p>AN. It's been three and a half years since I've published something I've written, be gentle. I have several installments already written, aiming for one post a week if it's well-received =)<p> 


	2. Breathe Again

Chapter two, a week late! But, here it is =) I had a pretty busy week with school and applying for a job, hopefully my life will be a little less hectic in the future – faster updates! ;)

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><p>1o. Breathe Again<p>

The quivering that chased across her legs and arms caused Anna to stumble again in the darkness. She gasped in deep gulps of the warm summer night air as she collapsed down onto the dirt, legs splayed out on either side of her. The relief that bloomed in her legs made her never want to move from that spot in the dirt along the worn path that ran off the main road and into the windy city of Asgard.

Her gaze flickered from her exhausted and still shaking legs to the wide shouldered back of the tall man who was cutting easily across the trail in front of her. She swallowed thickly as she glanced back over her shoulder to the few trees she could see as the trail behind them disappeared into darkness. She shuttered, facing forward again, clenching and unclenching her fingers before positioning her knees under her body as she placed her hands on either side of her legs. She pushed herself into a half standing position, her tired arms and legs burning with the effort. A sharp whistle from the tall stranger caused her to whip her head upwards; she felt a soft brush of fur at her back as she turned to find the large canine from earlier. He nudged her a few times with his large, dark nose and Anna almost felt her lips turn upward in a smile, hesitantly rubbing the fuzzy part of his nose. He whined softly and half bowed to her. Anna blinked at him several times in confusion before he padded around behind her and Anna felt her stomach fall through her hips as she slid down the soft fur of his broad neck, splayed awkwardly across the creature's large back.

"Ahm-" she gasped, half in pain as she strained her arms, gripping his fur tightly so as not to fall backward, managing to relax into a sitting position.

"Ride him until we reach Asgard," her savior spoke curtly and Anna nodded slightly, leaning forward across the animals' shoulder blades as he began to walk at a steady pace. He moved faster than she could've moved, but not so fast as to jostle her from his back. His fur was surprisingly soft for such a large animal, she noticed as she idly ran her fingertips along his side. Her tired eyes closed against the darkness and she let out a deep breath, she would never go back now. She would die before being taken back to that half-elf with the demonic eyes.

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><p>Kratos felt the tension relax from his shoulders as he heard her breathing even out behind him. He kept a hand around his sword's scabbard as he continued to lead their march across Sylvarant. He had been curt with her when she had asked for the few reprieves from their hurried trek across a good portion of the eastern continent of the waning world. They had managed, what was considered by most, two days travel in around ten hours. He felt his stomach drop slightly when he rounded the cliff face and the city of Asgard finally came into view, he knew that if they stopped moving he would start thinking. And thinking would mean realizing what he had just done.<p>

He pushed the thoughts from his mind as he passed the inn right at the entrance to the city; they would have no warning if Desians entered the city, that inn would be the first place the soldiers would look. The Seraph led Noishe and the sleeping young woman around the side of the more moderately priced inn up the cliff side and deeper into the city. Digging out his wing-pack he removed a dark cloak before tucking the neigh-magical bag back into his clothes.

Kratos walked forward and set a hand on the exhausted young woman's shoulder, inwardly cringing at the texture of the fabric. Dirt and grime had mixed into the rough woven fabric giving it a slick, caked texture. She sprung awake quickly and Kratos watched her. Outwardly his expression still guarded, but if he had to admit it, he was extremely curious.

"Put this on." He handed the cloak to her and she gingerly slid down from Noishe's back, her expression lowered into a suspicious glare but she drew the cape around her shoulders, no questions asked.

"_Go on, Noishe," _Kratos commanded in the ancient language Angelic had evolved from. "_Make yourself hidden, be safe." _The arshis barked softly before trotting off into the shadows of the village.

"Not everyone is a fan of your giant green and white dog-rabbit?" the refugee asked dourly and Kratos turned to her, his surprise not entirely hidden. She had been so exhausted during their journey she had hardly spoken a word, and being himself, neither had he.

"He'd be offended to hear you say that." Kratos answered cautiously and her eyebrows quirked slightly as she followed him out from the shadows to the front of the inn. She made no response and Kratos glanced over his shoulder at her and felt guilt hit him like a sword pommel to the gut. She was staring out over the rest of the town as a majority of it was laid out before them on a lower level. Her eyes were dark in the minimal light that leaked from the inns cracked draperies but it was enough that Kratos could see the wonder that sparkled in them.

She had been trapped for so long in the ranch, the simple sight of a town had made her freeze in her tracks and stare openly. His heart faltered slightly in his chest and Kratos flinched away from her, turning back toward the front of the inn. He opened the door for her and she turned slowly away from the starlit view to enter before him. Kratos stumbled slightly so as to not knock the frail girl over as she froze once again at the entrance to the inn, her head twitching as her gaze darted around the room. Kratos shifted his gaze from the young woman to the teenager who was working the night shift at the reception desk. He was also openly staring, but his gaze hadn't shifted from them since the moment they had stepped into the inn. His blue eyes met Kratos' for half a second before he glanced violently away and pulled out the guest register.

"I-It's 250 gald a night for a room, S-sir," he stuttered out and Kratos side-stepped his way around his companion who could do nothing but glance from object to object that decorated the room's interior. He pulled his gald pouch from the loops in his belt. Kratos dropped the gald on the desk and the young man shoved a key into Kratos' palms before disappearing into the back room behind the front desk.

Kratos' eyebrows twitched before he turned back to nod at the young woman, her gaze had stopped wandering and her expression was dull as she followed him up the stairs to their room.

"He seemed scared of you," she pointed out, her voice was rough and Kratos inwardly flinched. He could tell the deep cracking tones were more signs of abuse and neglect, his enhanced hearing could pick of the traces of her higher normal register.

"Most people are," he conceded and she made a show of blowing a puff of hair from her face and Kratos stopped to look at her as he opened the door.

"Should I be?" Kratos flinched when he caught her gaze; she was looking at him with the sharp expression of someone who had almost singlehandedly escaped from Kvar. It was not the glare of a pushover that she leveled at him.

"No." He swung the door open and she nodded once in his direction, taking his word for its face value. They both knew she had few options but to stay with him or try to survive on her own, Kratos wasn't sure which would ultimately prove more dangerous.

"Ohh," she gasped and Kratos felt his nerves twitch again as a lamp's wick caught and the nice-sized room flickered into view. She had moved faster than Kratos had seen her move in the past several hours and she practically moaned as she collapsed onto the bed across the room.

There was silence as Kratos pulled out the chair from the desk and sat down, taking off his belt and setting his sword against the desk's legs. He was tempted to pull out a book from his wing-pack when a soft noise from the bed caught his attention.

"Excuse me?" he asked for clarification and he watched as she rolled over on her side to face him, her dirt caked form clashing wildly with the clean white linens that surrounded her.

"Anna."

"What...?" was his muddled response and she closed her eyes before elaborating.

"My name, it's Anna."

"...Kratos."

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><p>Anna buried herself into the bed, the cool, clean cotton sheets that she had wrapped herself in were the most splendid thing she had felt in the past several years. A small smile skirted drowsily across her lips and the skin threatened to crack again but she caught herself and instead rolled her face into the soft down-filled pillow.<p>

She didn't know how long she would end up being free of the Desians but she was determined to enjoy every minute of it. She let out a deep breath as snuggled her face deeper into the cold down pillow, for the first time in years she could breathe again. No one would be guarding her when she slept, there would be no sense of urgent desperation when she woke. Without a second thought she allowed herself to be pulled down into the sweet abyss of sleep.

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><p>Kratos had his ankles folded as he sat in the wooden char at the desk and idly watched the sleeping woman, his head resting on his hand. He turned away from her before pulling out his wing pack and holding the containing device in his hand, flipping it over a few times as he stared past it, his gaze unfocused.<p>

Anna. He had helped a human girl named Anna escape from her Desian captors who, until very recently revered him as one of their leaders. His hand slid from his chin to cover his face as he groaned softly. What in the world was he thinking? He had nowhere to take her, nothing he could do to help her and set her on her way. Since he had helped her, he was now responsible for her well-being; he couldn't very well abandon her.

Kratos' garnet eyes flicked back over to her prone form curled in the sheets and he flinched at the shame that curled hotly in his chest. He was largely responsible for her situation in the first place, he would not toss her aside, helping one person, one fellow human from her torturers was the least he could do. He took a deep breath as he stood, glancing through a crack in the drapes to spot the pale teal glow of the sun nearly cresting over the mountains to the east. It was almost sunrise, some of the shops in town would be open and he had errands to run if he was going to care for a human girl for any amount of time.

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><p>This is actually one of my least favorites of the chapters, haha, but necessary! Now the adventure truly begins!<p> 


	3. Food

Here's chapter three, exceedingly late – my apologies, it _is_slightly longer, however. Graduating from college makes your life surprisingly more crazy. Hope you enjoy. =) 

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><p>87. Food<p>

The sharp pain that twisted in her stomach caused Anna to roll awake; her hazel eyes narrowed in a glare. The light sleep she had drifted out of left her almost all the way awake when she managed to focus her gaze on the whitewashed ceiling. She sat up and rubbed her sleep dried eyes roughly, yawning as she did so. Crossing her legs she rearranged her long soft cotton nightclothes, taking in the new inn she and Kratos had stopped in, it was the fanciest by far.

They had traveled south from Asgard after only spending one night in the windy city. She had been a little disappointed camping along the roadway down to Palmacosta. She had been out of the ranch for nearly two weeks now and had only slept in a bed three times. She would never complain, anything was better than the ranch, but she would not soon forget the simple heaven of a mattress. This room was cool and fresh, the midday ocean breeze was blowing lazily across the room, fluttering the light cotton draperies and Anna felt herself smile softly, the cooling minty balm Kratos had supplied her with made it so they no longer bled when she smiled. The simplicity of being able to relax, to not have to worry about anything in the immediate was one of the more wonderful things she had experienced since her freedom from the Asgard ranch.

Her stomach growled lowly and Anna felt the stinging rumble of hunger in her stomach and she grumbled into her white cotton covered knees. Kratos had not let her eat all the food she wanted and she was a little annoyed with him for that fact. She tugged at the simple but fairly high quality nightgown, the frown disappearing from her face a little; at least he was buying her comfortable clothing.

Anna stretched as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, smiling at the trees she could see beyond the window; it was an amazingly warm fall day in Palmacosta.

Her peaceful trance was interrupted by the loud squeak of the panel of wood outside of the door and Anna turned to face the simple wood paneled door, her eyebrows furrowed in curiosity as she pulled her knees closer to her chest. Kratos had left earlier that morning telling her to wait for him in the inn; she had made a face but listened nonetheless. She knew the residents of Palmacosta were overconfident in their security with the Desians, and she would have to be overly cautious if it meant never being sent back to Kvar.

Anna smiled as the mercenary stepped carefully through the doorway, his back was to her but she could tell he was carrying something large and awkward and she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her feet had barely touched the cool wood floor when his baritone surprised her into halting halfway out of the bed.

"Don't. I'm fine."

Anna felt her heartbeat calm in her chest and she shook herself internally. His back had been turned to her and he was clearly focused as he almost shuffled his way across the room, but he still had enough awareness to notice her slight weight on the floor. Anna pulled her legs back underneath her and began to fiddle with her toes as she watched him set three large canvas bags onto the table by the window. From the impressions the contents left on the surface of the bags she could tell each was filled with many different shaped objects.

"What in the world…" Anna felt the smile grow across her lips and Kratos looked at her with a sort of blank face she hadn't seen before. There was lightness in his eyes she didn't recognize and couldn't place.

"I brought food."

Anna was on her feet and before she realized it she had taken the four steps it had taken to reach the table, Kratos' arm had shot out and his hand had caught her at the elbow before she had been able to make a grab for one of the bags.

"We are still going to take it slowly, Anna." He spoke slowly and Anna felt her smile slide into a slight grimace. She had noticed that whenever he wanted her to pay particular attention to something he would add her name somewhere in the sentence. Even though she had picked up on this particular trick of his she was so elated to hear her name again after so many years of being a string of letters and numbers that every time someone said her name a little bit of warmth and surprise stirred in her chest. The best she could relate it to was finding a small beautiful shell on the beach when you were merely expecting another dull gray rock.

"Yes, but real food this time? Not just oats, bran, grains, fish, plain vegetables-"she cut off at his slight glower and he nodded his head, a trace of a lighter emotion lingering somewhere about his eyes still and she grinned.

"This is going to last us for a while, so I bought mostly items that would not perish. However, there is some 'real food' in there as well that you can try. If you start to feel at all sick please do not force yourself." He spoke the last sentence with a very serious glare and Anna rolled her eyes and he snorted under his breath. "_I'm_ not cleaning it up if you get sick."

"I won't!" Anna grabbed one of the bags and opened it slowly and felt a grin spread across her cheeks. The inside contained a small paper wrapped package of what she knew to be cheese. She drew it out slowly and set it lovingly on the cleared side of the table. Kratos' faint grunt of amusement could be heard from across the room where he was sorting through supplies and Anna felt heat burn her ears in an embarrassed flush. She shook it off when she spotted a shiny red apple and a tin of crackers. She clapped her hands together happily as she pushed the bag away to make space near the chair before settling herself down with her miniature feast.

"Hey Kratos…" She smiled at him from the across the room and he glanced up from his work of sorting their supplies for their endless journey running from the Desians. His expression had shifted back to its guarded norm and Anna felt a smile sliver of disappointment twist in the pit of her stomach. She had been hoping to see some more new expressions from him lately. "Thanks…"

His expression clouded up and Anna felt the sinking feeling of rejection in the pit of her stomach, it must have shown on her face because the expression dropped from his features and his mouth opened to say something but no words came out. They stood in silence for several moments, Anna sinking into the nearby chair as Kratos watched her, garnet eyes impassive. She turned away from him to begin unwrapping the cheese to prepare her meal, vaguely realizing in the back of her mind that she would have to ask him for a knife when the time came. The crinkling of the cheese paper sounded so very loud in the dead silence of the room that Anna couldn't fight down the warmth that grew on her cheeks as she ducked her head further.

"Do not misunderstand." His words caused her to flinch slightly as her gaze shifted from the cheese in front of her to the man across the moderately sized room. "I do not regret saving you," Anna's eyebrows rose incredulously and he snorted dismissively. "I have no doubt that taking you away from that place was the most honorable thing I have done for… a good many years."

She stared at him for several moments, nodding her head slowly as her heart beat solidly in her chest. The look on his face when he spoke had been so_ real_, so somber that she believed him. They sat in a less heavy silence for several more moments. Anna felt the pain of hunger chase across her abdomen again, this time accompanied by a growl that shattered the contemplative mood. Kratos snorted again from across the room and Anna shot a glare in his direction. He took the glare in stride, nodding to the food she had laid out before herself.

"You would do best to eat something."  
>Anna felt the strum of surprise that echoed through her chest turn her glare into a playful smile. Grabbing a plain cracker from the tin she shoved it into her mouth, smiling as she chewed.<p>

"Whoshe shfault isch that anyway?" she started her sentence before she had finished chewing completely and relished in the Kratos' wince.

"…" He didn't deign her question worth a response and merely raised an almost amused eyebrow, returning to his work of packing and making room for the newly purchased food supplies. Anna smiled happily to herself, turning back to the cheese and she frowned again, she needed a damn knife. She jumped when a loud thunk resounded next to her in the wooden table and she looked over to find a small hand knife lightly embedded into the already nicked and scarred wooden table.

"Oh…" she turned slightly only to find Kratos had already retreated most of the way across the room, his back turned to her. She took the knife and decided not to say anything more to him; she knew he liked to work in silence. She carefully sliced a piece of cheese, adding it and a slice of the apple to the cracker, her stomach tumbling slightly in anticipation.

She took a bite and immediately hummed in satisfaction to herself, it wasn't a heavy meal but it was so much more than she had been able to have before. Kratos had repeatedly and painstakingly explained that after years of being malnourished her body wouldn't be able to handle the rich, delicious foods right away and he had strictly monitored her diet. Now she was able to handle fruits and cheese and what a difference the tastes made. The cheese was a sharp cheddar, strong enough to compete with the sweet juiciness of the apple and the slight saltiness of the cracker.

She hummed happily as she popped the rest of the stacked cracker into her mouth and she turned as she heard what sounded almost like a snicker echo across the room. She swiveled in her chair to find Kratos watching her, his cherry wood eyes were wide with amusement and Anna felt her cheeks burn; it was very rare for him to show any sort of amusement, but she had yet to see him amused where it wasn't at the expense of someone else.

"What," she demanded flatly, it wasn't even a question.

"You're humming," he spoke simply, the amusement wiped from his countenance but the relaxed lightness remained in his usually soured features and a deeper part of Anna noticed he was much better looking for it.

Anna felt warmth creep into her ears again and he watched impassively as her expression slowly from accusatory to embarrassed.

"It tastes good, okay! I used to hum when I ate when I was a child! I enjoyed food!" Anna grumbled as she turned around to continue eating her food, not caring if she hummed or not.

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><p>Kratos fought the twitching at the corner of his lips before once again turning back to his own work of secretly squirreling things away into his Wing Pack without Anna noticing. It wasn't very hard for him to work without arousing her suspicions, who in their right mind would be expecting things to disappear into a box you could fit into the palm of your hand? He sighed as he suppressed another smile, annoyance then creasing his brow. He couldn't pin down why he found her small hums of happiness so entertaining. Every bite she took she seemed to bask in the flavors and Kratos felt a small sliver of envy in his gut. It had been so long since he had truly tasted anything, and food always tasted best to the well and truly hungry.<p>

He tucked his Wing Pack into a small pouch on his belt, reflecting on the awkward silence that they had encountered earlier. He had tried to break the silence with words that would soothe the young woman and had surprised himself at the truth he had found in them. It was truly not rescuing her that had bothered him so much as the light it shed on his darker past.

In truth he had been so distracted by the consequences from Cruxis and the Desians that he hadn't thought to think that those institutions would never had be born had it not been for his neglect to do the right thing in the first place. Saving her had been the right choice; he realized as his face relaxed into the palm of his hand, it had been all the choices that had come before her that were the wrong ones.

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><p>Hopefully this is less filler-ish but I feel the need to do a little bit of background before jumping into their relations. There's some Kratos introspection there at the end, mostly Anna point of view this time though. I already have the next two chapters mostly written, I just have to rewrite parts so there's a bit more flow. See you next chapter!<p> 


	4. Drink

Oho! We're back! You can thank the reviewers for my actually posting this…finally. Hope you like =D 

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><p>78. Drink<p>

Harsh smells were something Anna had grown used to in her past imprisonment. The stench of unclean humans living in too close quarters was something she doubted she could ever forget. The mere memory of the rank smell of the Asgard Human Ranch easily eclipsed the stink of the pub where she and Kratos had stopped for a quick warm meal as they made their way out of Palmacosta, after spending a week in the southern city. The bitter smell of dry old sweat and the sickly sweet smell of fermented alcohol caused Anna's nose to wrinkle despite her tough constitution. She was huddled over a small round table – her hood pulled over her head as she shook off the small drops of rain from her cloak. Autumn in Sylvarant could be volatile, swinging from sunny and warm one day to chilly and storming the next.

She shivered deeply, running her hands across her stomach from inside her cloak. The chilled air that was blowing in the sudden storm had a way of seeping into everything. Anna couldn't seem to get it out of her bones despite how she was tucked away in the warmest corner Kratos could find, huddled under layers of cotton, linen, and slightly water resistant leather.

Her eyes closed against the noise and the dim lights of the pub as she titled her head and rested her aching bones on the polished wood paneled wall next to their table. It smelled clean, like fresh cut wood, and she sighed against it. She would have never imagined her life like this before, not even in the ranch where the most wild of daydreams held a glimmer of hope could she picture something like this; being looked after by a complete stranger. Kratos Aurion was, as far as she could tell, more of an enigma than a man. He had, when she'd found the cognizance to ask, curtly introduced himself and later his pet 'dog' and informed her that he was some sort of wandering swordsman, a man of truly few words. He was curt, stoic and effortless in almost everything he did; Anna bit her lip as she absently drummed the stubs of her nails on the table, the slight thrumming sound relaxing her somewhat. A good many of the instincts that had kept her alive in the ranch were telling her that no one does anything for nothing and this man who shared so little of himself had to have some deeper reason for harboring a sick refugee.

The loud sound of heavy ceramic on wood caused Anna to jerk up into a sitting position, heart thrumming in her chest, hazel eyes wide as she searched her vision to find a steaming mug set before her. She followed the line of the sweater covered arm to find Kratos watching her from beneath his bangs, his visible brow creased slightly in concern and Anna felt a smile on her lips before she realized it. A little warmth spread through her before she even took a sip, perhaps this was why she hadn't run from him yet – his small random acts of kindness that he was loathe to take credit for.

"Thanks," she titled her head over the coffee, inhaling a deep breath from the steam swirling from the pale brown liquid; its rich bitter sweet smell filling her nose. Just wrapping her cold fingers around the warm mug was bliss; her fingers had burned for a moment as her hands came in contact with the warm surface for how cold they were. She titled the mug up shyly to her lips before she took a small sip, barely enough to wash across her tongue. She almost jumped at the taste; it had been years since she'd had anything warm to drink, let alone coffee. The bitterness was nearly missing for the sweetness and crème that swirled at the surface.

"I hope you don't mind it sweet." He nodded to her as he took a sip of water for himself. "I noticed you favored sweet foods."

She could only nod as she took another quick sip. She could feel the warmth spread all the way down her throat and into her chest and she sighed deeply, it was wonderful.

"You're wonderful." Came from her lips instead and Anna felt herself tremble slightly in embarrassed horror. She forced her gaze up to Kratos' and she felt her cheeks burn as she noted the plain look of surprise on his face, and she quickly ducked her head again. "I-I mean, what-what I meant to say is, 'it's wonderful'." She took another drink from her mug, silently hoping to drown in its pale cocoa colored depths.

His breath came out in a cough of amusement and she glared up at him without a thought to how embarrassing it was to look at him. She felt the flush settle in her cheeks as she hunkered down into her seat, her lips curling into a faint smile over the rim of her mug.

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><p>Kratos crossed his legs as he leaned forward, elbows on the table, tilting his head to the side as he watched her take more frequent sips from the coffee mug. He felt his lips fight back a smile and he ducked his head, wiping the urge to smile from his mind as he watched her pull her cape off and drape it over the back out of her chair. He studied her green eyes with a reserved curiosity, she seemed convinced that they were hazel but when they had first met and she had been so covered from head to toe in the brown of dirt and the red of the blood that their brightness had startled him. In his many years he had known very few people in either world to have green eyes. Martel and Yuan were the only two that he could think of, but their eyes held the vibrancy of the magic in their blood. Anna's eyes had an earthy tone them, the flecks of brown and green mingled around her large pupils.<p>

Thinking of his old friends reminded him of something the young half-elven woman had told him centuries ago, that he was kind and understanding. He banished the thought as he heard the loud clank of her mug hitting the table.

"You finished?" Her gaze slipped from his face as he spoke but she refocused on him, shaking her head slightly, clearing her mind before she nodded at him.

"Yeah," her smile was lopsided before it bloomed into a grin that stretched her chapped lips. Kratos watched as she pushed herself out of her chair and teetered slightly on her feet. He stepped around the table and steadied her, his hand on her lower arm. She glanced up sharply at him and his hand flinched away, she grinned cheekily up at him and Kratos felt his face warm slightly at her amusement at his discomfort.

This only fueled his embarrassment causing him to frown and blush again; she then burst into a fit of giggles as she stumbled into his side, which was not helping the awkward flush on his cheeks.

"..." His eyes narrowed as she smiled an embarrassedly crooked smile at him and he put a hand on her shoulder and led her towards the bar.

"You two need a room?" The bartender leered at them as he as he absently dried and shelved the glasses behind the bar. Kratos glared at the man before giving him a curt nod. The graying middle aged man shrank slightly as he skulked the distance of the bar and tossing them a key, his eyes never straying far from his work at the bar.

Kratos dropped the key into his pocket as he readjusted his sword under his coat, inwardly pleased when the bartender took a hesitant step back and bowed his head mutely as they walked along the bar to the doorway at the far right of the room.

Anna stumbled slightly at his side and Kratos glanced down at her from under his bangs, his brow creasing slightly in worry as he led her across the barroom floor. Her dark bistre hair flew slightly around her face as she shook her head and skipped a few steps ahead of him, grabbing the door and flinging it open for him. He raised an eyebrow in a simple questioning glance and she smiled up at him, her fingers subconsciously tracing the healing scrapes along her arms.

"Anna..." He trailed behind her as she glanced over her shoulder at him, her hazel eyes wide as she stared at him in confusion, his worry falling, for once, upon deaf ears. Kratos felt his heart beat harder for one pulse as he trailed her up the steps. Generally she brushed off his guilt and worry with a roll of her eyes or more recently a small grin – but for her to not pick on his microexpressions made him uneasy.

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> <p>Anna felt near giddy when they finally made it to their room. Kratos almost always insisted on one room so he could keep an eye on her. She hadn't quite figured out when exactly he slept, but he always seemed the more rested of the two of them so she deduced he must find some time. She half tripped, half skipped her way to the bed before she fell face first into the comforter, snuggling her face into the soft cotton. She would never take a bed for granted again.<p>

"Are you feeling alright, Anna?" Kratos had sat down near the head of the bed, his sword propped against the wall but still within easy reach.

"Mmmmmm," she hummed as she rolled onto her back and twisted around so she could see him. "Yep!"

She felt tingles run along her arm as his hand gripped her near her elbow and she curved her neck up to look at him, and was surprised to find him staring back down at her, his garnet eyes focused intently on hers and she felt her cheeks warm slightly. He was never one to be known for making voluntary eye contact, he gave a soft gasp of surprise and amusement and she raised her eyebrows in question.

"You," he paused as she situated herself so she was sitting cross legged next to him on the bed. "Are drunk."

Anna felt her cheeks warm again and she laughed softly before she pointed a finger at him, slightly unstable on the soft surface.

"You got me drunk, you sneaky man."

He snorted slightly before responding grimly, "not on purpose."

"Mmmm," her smile widened into a grin and Kratos stood from the bed and moved a step away. Anna grinned and grabbed him around the waist and he froze, looking back down at her, startled.

"What are you doing?" He was looking down at her from over his shoulder but she couldn't see his face from behind his bangs she pouted her bottom lip.

"I'm drunk."

"Not that drunk. Tipsy at best."

She released him as she sat back down, legs crossing as she leaned back on her hands, grinning up at him.

"I've never been drunk before, you know." Her head twitched to side and Kratos furrowed his eyebrows. "I'll remember this."

"You might," he acknowledged with a small nod as he strode away from her and took his seat at the desk in their room.

"Mmmm, thanks," she sighed and he glanced over at her, an eyebrow raised, "for saving me."

"Don't thank me," he cut crudely across her words and Anna squinted at him through the haze of her drowsiness and the alcohol in her system. Thoughts seemed to slide slowly together as she half watched him over the edge of her pillow. Her mouth was dry with anxiety as she closed her sore and tired eyes, clarity and sobriety came to her sharply, like being dunked in a cold bath.

"You did something." Her tone was even, despite being muffled by the pillow she had burrowed half her face into.

"Yes," he responded just as evenly and Anna felt her eyes squeeze even tighter shut as she winced against the words.

"Is that why those guards were giving you mean looks?"

"Perhaps."

Anna sighed before rolling over to face away from him, pulling the covers up over her shoulders, frost settling in her stomach as she shivered slightly against the cold dread that settled on her.

"I don't suppose you want to talk about it."

"No," his tone had lost all the warmth she had noticed it sometimes held when he spoke to her or was slightly amused with something and she burrowed her face deeper into the pillow. She knew from her childhood before the ranch that when someone's upset and doesn't want to talk, and it isn't your place to ask it's best to let them work it out themselves and talk to them another day.

She rolled onto her back and allowed herself to be lulled into an alcohol induced slumber, happy enough to forget the troubles that loomed in their future and the shadows of their pasts.

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><p>I wrote the majority of this months ago but I never really liked it very much (still don't really) so I didn't feel like editing it OTL. Anna is suspicious, now the fun begins! =D<p>

Any thoughts on the speed of their relationship would be nice; I don't want to go too fast or too slow!


	5. Tears

This chapter went through so many permutations over the months... but I think it's where I need it to be finally. It's a bit of a long one, hope you like!

And a special thanks to the one person who reviewed the last chapter, you know who you are!

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><p>26. Tears<p>

Anna stared out the window as she sat at the bed beneath the windowsill still in the tavern where she and Kratos had ducked in to hide from the sudden autumn storm the night before. She continued to stare at the gray mid morning sky for a few more moments before sighing softly and falling back onto the bed unceremoniously, her head thumping into the stiff mattress.

"Oof," she grumbled, shooting a glare at the door to their small room. She hated it when Kratos left her alone. She could easily leave the room, but what was there to do out in the center of the biggest town in the world for a refugee?

She pulled at the fraying fabric of the cotton bedspread, sighing heavily, Kratos had not woken her when he left like he usually did. Her first instinct had been to panic. She had been terrified at the thought of being left alone, but she had noticed Kratos had left some of his things on the desk in their room and she had calmed somewhat. She could still remember his tone when he had spoken to her the night before.. Colder and more distant than even when they had first met and he had half dragged her ragged body across north eastern Sylvarant.

She rolled forward into a standing position before swinging her arms about herself and stretching, trying to pull her mind away from thoughts of the solitary mercenary. The skin on her back, arms and legs had finally healed enough that stretching felt wonderful instead of painful. Her pleased smile melted into a sigh as she looked to the doorway again. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared down the oak paneled door, her gaze flitting to the key that hung on a hook nearby.

She grinned easily as she rustled out a change of clothes from the knapsack Kratos had given her for her things...that he had also given her. Her grin slid slightly from her face as she stared at the bag and the clothes she held in her arms. She immediately felt guilt sink into the pit of her stomach as she pulled at the fabric of the blouse in her arms. He had given her so much already, how could she ask to dominate all his time as well? She sighed as she readjusted the clothes in her arms and straightened her back, resolving to do something for Kratos if the chance ever arose, even if he didn't want to be thanked.

She backed away from the desk and grabbed the room key from its hook stepping out into the wood paneled hallway. She leaned against the hardwood door, excitement swirling in her chest. A grin snuck onto her face as she nearly hopped the first few steps down the hallway passing the few other rooms at the small inn. This was her first time out on her own, Kratos always made sure either he or Noishe were constantly in her presence. There was something about Noishe that made her think of him almost like a human and she never felt independent in his company.

Even though she wasn't outside being all alone made her stomach flutter with a nervous excitement she was unused to. She was still smiling as she reached the door to the shared baths and she nearly fell into the room as the door opened with her hand on the handle. A woman was staring down at her, curiosity plain on her face as she inspected her and Anna felt her throat dry and her cheeks warm as she backpedaled a step to allow the woman to exit the baths.

The woman raised an eyebrow as she passed her quickly without looking back and Anna stared enviously after the smooth arms revealed by her short sleeved dress. Her happiness deflated like a limp balloon in her chest as she was reminded sharply of the scars that marred both her body and soul. She swallowed thickly before stepping into the shower room, allowing herself to be distracted and grinning wildly at the water pipes. Showers were second only to beds on her list of things that she would never take for granted again.

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><p>Kratos' face was frozen in a frown as he strode quickly down the damp stone cobbled streets, his dark cloak flapping slightly in the chilled wind. The night before had caused him to realize that the longer he stayed with Anna the harder it would be to keep himself hidden and her safe. He sighed as he glanced down at the arshis who was hopping along beside him, happily dodging some puddles and splashing through others.<p>

"Noishe…" he warned the dog-like creature who, ignoring him, ran faster, crossing a stone bridge and, spotting the soggy grassy hills outside the city, took off at a sprint. Kratos sighed heavily as he rolled his shoulders and followed his oldest companion outside the city limits.

Kratos walked out to the field and stood to the side as he watched the protozoan sprint across the grassy knolls, his tongue lolling as he threw himself onto the grass and began rolling around in the dew. A very small smile flickered about the seraph's eyes as he snorted derisively to himself, if he didn't know better he would've thought the protozoan had always been a dog like creature.

He closed his eyes as he ran a hand through his hair, irritated with himself, how was he supposed to deal with this impossible situation? Running away from Mithos was impossible in itself, taking a human girl along with him was just plain madness.

Noishe had flipped himself onto his back, paws clawing the air manically before he hopped up on all fours and Kratos sunk into a deeper reverie, tuning out the protozoan entirely. His world for very nearly as long as he could remember had always been black and white; the logical correct answer and the wrong answer. Logically speaking he should have never left Cruxis, nothing would come of him leaving. Logically he should leave Anna, nothing could come of him saving her either, but he _had_ left Cruxis and he _was_ responsible for Anna's life now...

Kratos felt his stomach drop to his knees as the solid form of Noishe barreled into his legs at full tilt and knocked the him to the ground. He grunted as he landed roughly, the still wet ground giving slightly as he slid a few inches in the mud.

"Noishe!" he snapped angrily and the arshis grinned back at him, displaying two rows of canine teeth. The protozoan then buried his head into the seraph's chest, whining happily and Kratos stared down at him, confusion riddling his expression, one corner of his lips worming its way up into a parody of a smile. "Noishe…" he trailed, warmer this time and was rewarded with a gentle nudge of a damp nose. Kratos rubbed his long time friends' head gently before pushing Noishe off and standing carefully, managing to avoid getting any more mud on his cloak.

_Maybe… _ Kratos thought as he followed Noishe's happy footsteps back into town as the sun began to break through the patchy clouds above them. _Sometimes the logical answer isn't always the correct one. _He pondered as he walked past the shops that lined Palmacosta's streets; bluntly ignoring the dirty looks people sent him as Noishe barreled about the town in a fit of wanton joy.

His deep red eyes caught on a simple dress in a doorway that he had no doubts Anna would be thrilled to have but he gave pause as his eyes caught the length of dress's sleeves. Kratos felt guilt twist in his chest as he frowned and turned away from the shop's window, she refused to wear anything with short sleeves, with good reason. The majority of her scars were located on her arms, legs and back and anything with sleeves shorter than elbow length made Anna stand out glaringly against the general populous. A few scars would be normal in the working world of Sylvarant, but it was plain to see by anyone that she had been abused over a long period of time.

Perhaps saving Anna had been a logical decision after all, as a means to stem the tide of his own guilt... he winced at the thought.

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><p>Anna felt her eyes close reflexively as she sunk happily into hot water of the large tub in the inn. She smiled to herself underwater as the clean, soapy water ran up over the bridge of her nose and crept up the back of her neck, warming her deeply.<p>

She readjusted herself in the tub so she could take in a deep breath of cool morning air. Resting her head against the wooden backboard, she tried her best to keep the rest of her body submerged in the almost scalding water. The first shower she had taken after Kratos had set them up at the inn in Asgard had been one of the most amazing things she had experienced in the past several years of her relatively young life, but this bath came well within the top ten.

The muscles used for doing manual labor at the Asgard Human Ranch and the muscles used to walk yourself a quarter of the way around the world were completely different, and her legs and back were sore from the constant travel. She sighed again as she attempted to bury herself deeper into the steaming water, everything just felt wonderful suspended in the warmth.

Her hazel green eyes traced soberly down across her body and Anna felt a coil of disgust wind itself tightly in her stomach. If her scars were unseemly the deep ultramarine gem that almost seemed to pulse that was embedded between her collar bones was disgusting. She shuddered as she sunk herself deep down into the water again, the temperature suddenly not hot enough. She felt a nervousness she hadn't felt since she'd left the ranch creep into her mind, a chill tracing up her spine. The sedative cloud caused by the euphoric disbelief of her rescue was finally dissipating from her mind, leaving the stark reality of her situation bare before her.

She could remember the moment they had dragged her off because she was "special" and had thrust this horrible gem into her chest. Anna felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as she sat up straight against the back of the porcelain tub, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her head on top.

She had been young and foolish then, unequivocally stubborn and so full of hate for the Desians that she would do anything simply to disobey them. It had taken her years to master _when_ to fight the Desians, _when_ to resist and what battles just simply weren't worth fighting for. If she had known then what she knew now...  
>Anna stood suddenly, the cold shock of the autumn air caused goose bumps to prickle across her arms and chest. Anna grabbed the towel she had set near the tub and wrapped it around her chest before collapsing back down onto the nearby stool, letting her hair drip onto the tiled floor and the sudden rush of tears to stream down her face.<p>

Finding the inn's room empty had concerned him at first, but Kratos had never been one to panic, _ever_. He took a deep breath before evaluating the room more closely. His things had been left behind, meaning they hadn't been robbed, Anna was missing and so was her bag, but so was the key that he had hung on a hook by the door so he could assume she meant to come back. He hoped. Kratos felt a frown pull down the corners of his lips "he hoped?" what was it any concern of his if she had disappeared from here? If she ran she would no longer be part of his responsibility, part of his sin, or part of his guilt.

"Ah!" Kratos flinched as he heard the too loud voice of a young woman behind him, he hadn't heard her coming in his reverie. "You must be with the brunette! I was beginning to get worried," Kratos turned and glanced through his bangs at the young blonde woman who stood wringing out her long blonde hair over her shoulder, the smell of bath salts clinging to the air around her.

"Worried?" he heard himself echo, subtly surprised that he had spoken to her. It wasn't often he conversed with people, especially not with young women, he had learned his lesson long ago. They always wanted _something_.

"Well she went in there a while ago," she gestured over her shoulder to the door at the far end of the hall. "Buuuut," she dragged out the syllable, a smirk tracing onto her features that Kratos _did not_ like the looks of_, at all_, "if she's waiting for you, I can't say I blame her." She winked a russet eye at him before flinging her hair over a shoulder and descending down the inn's steps, leaving Kratos to stare blankly after her.

Kratos took a moment to process what the young blonde had said before crossing his arms in a huff and closing the door to their room and stalking off down the hallway. Anna's well-being took precedence over his dignity. He opened the wooden door to the public bathing area, his eyes twitching as he felt the steam immediately drench his hair, the ends frizzing so they stuck out slightly more than normal.

Inside the room there were two archways, each covered by a slightly swaying cloth with a carved wooden panel indicating a men's side and a women's side. Kratos swallowed the shreds of his dignity as he stepped forward towards the woman's side, his footsteps clicking softly on the tile floor. His ears perked slightly as he could just barely make out the sound of poorly stifled sobs as he paused at the archway his throat suddenly very dry and his limbs rigid.

He stopped and leaned against the wall, pursing his lips as the sobs continued, now certain it was Anna. The code of chivalry by which he conducted most of his life in the fashion of had little to say about sobbing women. Women, in his experience, when found to be distraught were usually sent to those with the experience and knowledge not to make matters worse, like family, or friends or a chaplain. Anna, Kratos realized dully as he took a deep breath of the warm steam laden air, had none of these things. All she had was him. He steeled himself before knocking slightly on the wooden panel near the doorway. The sound echoed off the walls and stifled the cries from beyond his field of vision.

"Anna?" he called in, what he hoped, was a neutral tone, testing the uncharted waters.

A very loud sniff and a half sobbed curse were his only response and Kratos felt his eyebrows twitch, vaguely proud of her, she had enough pride to be upset with herself to be found sobbing in the bathroom.

"...yeah," he heard her mumbled reply but only through his angelic hearing. He debated responding as the cloth beside him rustled and Anna appeared from behind it. Kratos visibly startled, his eyes widening as he took half a step away from her, eyebrows raised in question. She had appeared as she had been when she had gotten out of the bath. Half dry and dressed solely in a large white towel, her personal belongings clutched in her arms. He spared half a train of thought on how she looked much more healthy now that she had put weight on, before focusing intently on her face.

Her eyes were red and slightly puffy and tear stains trailed visibly down her cheeks but she still smiled wryly up at him when she noticed him startle.

"Good to know I'm still woman enough," she smirked sadly at him and Kratos baulked his contempt for any sort of accusation she had subliminally made, now was not the time for him to defend his moral character. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before swiveling to face him straight on and Kratos watched her curiously. "I know you're probably not the type, but do you think we could talk about it?" she asked him as she began to lead the way out of the bathroom and Kratos opened his mouth to reply in the affirmative, but she cut across his words before he could manage. "I-I mean," she stuttered, more than obviously embarrassed. "I could just talk at you, you know? You w-wouldn't really have to listen, I guess-"

"It's fine," he cut across her this time and she glanced back at him, not bothering to hide the surprise in her hazel green eyes. "Allowing things to fester never did anyone any good," he elaborated and he privately took solace in logic, once again. "'I'll meet you back in the room." Kratos walked past her, out the door, and down the hallway without looking back or waiting for a response. Logic, he reasoned, dictated that she had lived through many traumatic experiences and it was strange for her _not_to be upset.  
>Kratos entered their room stiffly and set himself down in the chair by the dark wood-carved secretary's desk. He folded his arms across his chest as he waited for Anna, trying not to think too deeply about the situation he had found himself in; voluntarily comforting a crying young woman.<p>

The door creaked open slowly and Kratos' eyebrows twitched as Anna peered in the room around the corner of the door, her lips still turned down in a small frown, her eyes glassy and face blotchy with red, but fully dressed this time.

"Sorry," she apologized and Kratos felt guilt twist like a knife in his stomach as he grit his teeth in an effort to remain silent. It wasn't like he could explain to her that everything that had happened in her life could essentially be blamed on him, and that she should never apologize to him again.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he nodded seriously at her and watched curiously as one corner of her lips twitched slightly into a tiny smile.

"You're weird," she walked over to the bed and Kratos glowered at her halfheartedly. As abnormal as he was, he didn't appreciate being called weird. "I, I suppose I should start from the beginning then, yeah?"

She sat down, her hands restlessly ruffling and smoothing out the ends of her pale lilac tunic, focusing her gaze back up at him. Her hazel eyes were still wet, but they now shone with a determination that made Kratos startle somewhat, the twisting guilt in his stomach writhing anxiously.

"I-" she pressed her lips together as she paused, visibly rearranging herself and starting over, her scarred hands pulling apart the neckline of her tunic. "Do you know what this is?" she gestured to the deep blue gem that was embedded into the skin between her collar bones and Kratos felt himself twitch apprehensively and nod his head solemnly. His gaze met hers for half a second before she ducked her gaze behind the stray strands of her dark bistre hair.

"An exsphere," Kratos elaborated and Anna nodded, cinching her tunic closed again and stuffing her idle hands beneath her thighs.

"You know a lot," Anna spoke evenly and Kratos watched her carefully, she was close to tears again but she grinned up at him. "But," her voice wavered and almost broke. "I don't know if you'll know this," she swallowed thickly. "These _gems_," she almost cursed the word, "are probably the reason for human ranches." She grumbled to herself and Kratos rose an eyebrow curiously, she certainly knew more than what he had been expecting.

"Once I figured that out I tried to take it off, you know, to get back at the Desians," she was smiling in a sad sort of twisted way that made Kratos' heart freeze in his chest. In the time he had known her he had seen her lows and highs, but he had never seen such a cold look on her face. "They warned us not to, but I didn't listen," her eyes began to well with tears and Kratos watched her calmly as she continued her story. "They _showed_ me," her mouth was a grim line. "The 'Exsphere Extraction Process'." She swallowed thickly and Kratos felt his eyes widen despite the mask he had clamped down over his emotions, he hadn't expected Kvar to deign his "subjects" worthy of any sort of information. On the other hand showing _that_to an exsphere victim was plain cruelty, something that was, admittedly, definitely the Grand Cardinal's style.

"Apparently this _thing, " _she continued, bringing Kratos away from his morbid thoughts, "when removed causes the mana in your body to go haywire and turns you into a monster, _but _the best part is, even if you don't take it off it'll still kill you," the last words came out in a rush as she collapsed backwards onto the bed and Kratos barely caught the trace of a few tears that flew from her face. He had known these things already, but it felt like the guilt that had wound itself into knots in his stomach now had jagged edges. Even if he had saved her, it was only temporary, something he hadn't fully realized himself.

"Anna..." he trailed and she sat up on her elbows, hazel eyes still shimmering with threatened tears but she looked at him sharply, her determination not to cry clear.

"There's a way..." Kratos heard himself speaking before his mind had completely caught up with himself and Anna's eyes had widened at the words. He swallowed before continuing, paying no heed to the voice in the back of his mind that warned him not to, "there's a way to remove an exsphere without side effects."

* * *

><p>Anna practically flung herself into a sitting position, her heart beating quickly in her chest as she stared at the man in front of her, his face was dead serious, like it always was, but she couldn't quite believe him.<p>

"You're serious?" she leaned forward to stare him straight in the eyes and he nodded, his expression never changing and Anna felt twinge of wry annoyance for the red-haired mercenary. He had just told her that she could be _saved_ would it kill him to show a little happiness? She'd even take an expression of hubris at this point, he certainly knew enough about everything. "How?"

"A Key Crest," Kratos' eyebrows had knit in thought and Anna felt her stomach lurch as she settled herself back down into the mattress, thoughtful despondence was not the sort of emotion she had been looking for in her companion. "They're dwarven technology, however," he explained. "Smithing, I don't know of any dwarves on the surface," the corners of his lips were pulled down into a thoughtful frown and Anna felt her stomach spiral downward with dread.

"Of course there aren't," she flopped back onto the bed dramatically. Silence descended on their room but she glanced up when she heard the shuffle of Kratos' clothes.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you so...melodramatic," Kratos was watching her curiously and Anna met his gaze evenly.

"I don't believe we've ever discussed my imminent demise before," she responded tartly, her mind a whirl of emotions and thoughts.

"Imminent?" Kratos echoed, openly confused by her statement and Anna sat up on her arms again to better watch him. "Exsphere poisoning is generally a very slow process unless exacerbated by external stressors."

"Like being trapped as a slave and forced to do otherwise meaningless manual labor?" Anna heard herself ask very pointedly and Kratos nodded. "It's really amazing you know all these things," she half-accused and he gave no argument.

"You're quite sharp..." Kratos trailed off and Anna felt herself freeze at the unexpected compliment. He stared at her dully before answering her half-accusation. "I read a lot."

"Uh-huh..." Anna let her tone be coated with a muted sarcasm. "I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, however," she smiled slightly at him and Kratos stared.  
>He stared a lot, Anna realized, looking without speaking, quietly observing. When he stared at her this time it was quite a bit longer than she was used to and Anna felt her self-consciousness kick in as she shifted on the bed to dislodge his gaze.<p>

"Thank you."

Anna felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as the red haired mercenary was suddenly thanking her, if the day wasn't odd enough already.

"F-for what?" she heard herself stutter and she flushed slightly, damn her nervous tongue.

"For telling me these things, I," Kratos paused as he looked away and Anna sat up fully, watching his face as closely as she could for any minutia of expression. "I think I needed to hear this, I needed to know why I helped you that day."

Anna smiled wryly at his words before poking him once in the shoulder and he practically jumped, unused to the physical contact, but she achieved her goal of getting him to look at her, grinning internally. "I was wondering about that, you don't really seem the type to go around rescuing young women from human ranches," she confessed with a half smile and he sniffed rather pointedly.

"I thought it was just a whim, but I think, I needed to help someone after all the pain I'd caused, even if it won't make up for everything..." he trailed off to himself and Anna felt her stomach lurch slightly as she hung onto his every word. Her gut turned over on itself again but she said nothing, determined to let him have his moment of peace. After the doom and gloom of the night before and this confession she was starting to feel like she either desperately wanted to know what he had done, or to never talk with him about it ever again.

"It's not very logical, you know," he spoke, almost to himself and Anna blinked up at him, curiously. She had noticed sometimes when he looked at her it was like he was looking at puzzle, but now his expression suggested he'd put the pieces together.

"What? Saving people at the risk of your own life? No it really isn't." She smiled widely at him and he simply just stared back at her, his mouth a straight line, his garnet eyes belying no emotion, "but I'm really glad you did."

His eyebrows twitched slightly and Anna watched for the first time as Kratos expression softened, only slightly, not enough to be called a smile but enough that she felt her own smile grow in response. The tears she had shed earlier were nearly forgotten, his guilt still nagged at the back of her mind but she was content to allow him to be her savior, for now.

* * *

><p>Sometimes you just have air things out before you can get to the lighter, happier (fluffier) moments. I love the dichotomy of their relationship.<p>

Please leave any comments, questions or suggestions in a review!


	6. Two Roads

44. Two Roads 

The sun had broken through the clouds the day they had left Palmacosta. Two days later found them still on the trail between the coastal town and the adventurer's town, the sun still shining brightly in the sky above them. Kratos could even admit, to himself at least, that the gentle warming rays of the autumnal sun on his back greatly improved his mood.

Anna was walking along in front of him at a steady pace, the bounce back in her step. After she had broken down in front of him he noticed she seemed much more comfortable with him, less like a guest and more like a companion, and generally more relaxed in his presence. To his well-hidden astonishment he'd discovered that he hadn't minded in the least. He had become used to her amiable presence and the awkward pretense that he was going to simply drop her off somewhere between them had morphed into something else, what, he couldn't quite say.

She had certainly beguiled Noishe, at the very least. Kratos felt the corner of his mouth twitch up in a half smirk as he watched the oversized dog dart around Anna's boots as she teased him with a long reed of pampas grass she had found at the beach.

"You should probably throw it for him already," Kratos felt the other corner of his lips quirk up in a wry smile as she glanced hurriedly over her shoulder at him, her face split in a wide grin.

"Why's that?" she had turned her attention back to Noishe and was running the feathery grain-like end over the arshis' nose.

"He's bigger than you." Kratos responded succinctly and Noishe took that as his cue to nudge her legs with his nose. The brunette stumbled a few paces, glowering at the pair of them.

"You're in cahoots!" she waved her feathered pointer between the two of them and Kratos rolled his eyes as Noishe took the opportunity to jump up and bite the end of the reed, successfully liberating Anna of her weapon. "Hey!" she shouted after the arshis who leapt away bouncing with the thrill of success as he scouted ahead, prize in tow.

Anna had slowed her pace, so she came up beside him, her head tilting out of the sun's rays slightly as she looked up at him. "Kratos Aurion," she said his name slowly, working her mouth around each syllable and he furrowed a curious brow down at her, realizing again how small she was next to him, she rarely got so close when they were both standing.

"...Yes?" he heard himself ask after a pause, why was it he couldn't just leave well enough alone with her? She always managed to pique his interest one way or another.

"What sort of name is that anyway?" She had turned to face forward again and he couldn't read her expression beyond the uneven fringe that framed her face, but he was almost certain he heard humor in her voice.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, I mean. I've never met anyone named Kratos before. Or anyone with the last name Aurion..." she trailed thoughtfully and Kratos felt a tremor of surprise lance across his chest as his heart stuttered for half a beat. He hadn't thought of that. How archaic his name must be now, even with Mithos manipulating the two words' cultural progression, there were some variables left to the worlds' inhabitants. His name was, even four thousand years later, more Tethe'allan than Sylvaranti.

"My parents were old fashioned," he answered in the same monotone he always used, but the look on her face when she turned to him was incredulous. One eyebrow was furrowed and the other arched as a playful grin stretched her slightly sun chapped lips.

"Yeah, okay."

Kratos let a deep sigh fall from his lips and Anna smiled at him before facing forward and threading her fingers together in front of her as they walked in what wasn't quite an awkward silence. Kratos himself always enjoyed silence, and she seemed fairly comfortable at least.

"Kratos, I..." Anna pulled her lips into a frown as she continued at a steady pace beside him as they backtracked north towards Hakenosia Peak. "Hm," she worried her lip before turning to look up at him again. "What are your plans, Kratos?" She visibly swallowed as she spun her thumbs nervously in front of her and Kratos felt an eyebrow twitch curiously as he pondered her nerves. Was he really so intimidating? He wasn't trying to be.

The real problem was how he was going to go about answering her question. He was, for the first time in centuries, carving his own future instead of blindly following Mithos and he wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do outside of not helping Mithos. Stopping Mithos perhaps? The thought made a bitter laugh stick in his throat, the best he could hope for would be to annoy Mithos a little. Even he, the seal of Origin and probably the most skilled swordsman between the two worlds, could do very little against the power of the Eternal Sword.

"Kra-tos!" Anna punctuated the syllables of his name as she drew him back from his thoughts, a gentle glare creasing her eyebrows slightly. "No plans...?" she asked curiously and he shrugged a shoulder, ambivalence was as good of an answer as he could give at the moment.

"Not really, no. Why do you ask?" He had always found it was easier to be the one asking the questions rather than having to answer them.

"I was just. Hm," Anna was pinching the folds her deep sage green tunic nervously as she spoke. "I don't..." she paused before looking at him, her hazel-green eyes hard and her expressive brows knit together. "Take me with you."

Kratos stopped walking to stare down at her and she stumbled to a stop a few feet past him, kicking up a slight cloud of dust. His confusion must have been evident in his face because she immediately flushed, pulling her arms across her chest in a defensive gesture. The determination on her face faltered for only a moment as a sad half smile depressed her lips.

"...What..." Kratos stared at her as the word left his lips without his permission.

"If you don't have anything better to do, I'd like to come with you," she explained slowly as if she was speaking to a child, the curious disbelief that colored her tone belied her confusion at his reaction. "I've been thinking about it, my future, that is," she clarified with a bit of cheek that Kratos had noticed slowly creeping into her personality as time went on. "I don't think you can just drop me off at some village and be like 'Here's a refugee, don't worry about the Desians chasing her or anything.' Something tells me they wouldn't appreciate that." Anna creased an eyebrow at him thoughtfully and Kratos shrugged a shoulder before continuing their walk, Anna following a pace behind. She certainly had a point. It was true that he was generally more of a solitary creature, but it was also true he didn't loathe her presence and that given their unique situations she was only in slightly more danger with him than without him.

"I do not believe, staying with me would be wise," he offered as a rebuttal and she pouted her bottom lip out before spinning to face forward and continue walking up the mountain path, arms crossed decisively across her chest.

"And why's that?" Her tone was icy and Kratos felt a trickle of surprise twist in his chest, that was certainly a new emotion from her.

"..." Kratos swallowed as he contemplated what to say. He wouldn't, couldn't tell her the truth, it was ridiculous and he probably would've doubted her sanity if she believed him. His mind quickly ran through a series of explanations he could give, not quite lies, but nothing near the truth of the situation. "The... people," he felt his lips twitch at the irony of using the word to describe Cruxis, the individuals involved could hardly be counted as such anymore, himself included. "The people who are after me are many times more dangerous than the Desians," he spoke evenly, wondering, even as the words left his mouth, if she would believe him. To her the Desians must have seemed like the world's ultimate evil.

* * *

><p>Anna 's legs stopped walking almost of their own accord as her brain processed what he had said. More dangerous than the Desians? She felt her stomach twist with indignation as she stepped to block his path, looking up into his face and he stared down at her, expression stoically neutral, as always.<p>

Anna opened her mouth to respond, her mouth working around several syllables but no sound would come out so she gave up the effort and looked at Kratos once more. Trying to garner some information from the mercenary's face, _anything._

"How," she finally managed to speak the word that she needed to, but she was so incredulous she wasn't able to quite get the proper inflection into her voice. Even to her own ears it sounded more like a statement than question.

His crimson gaze shifted from her general direction down to her eyes and Anna immediately felt her chest tighten with apprehension. Kratos Aurion was not one for eye contact and Anna felt her heart skip a nervous beat at the intensity of his gaze.

"They..." Kratos' eyes seemed to be studying her, sizing her up and Anna felt herself shift uneasily under his scrutiny. "They are the ones who give orders to the Desians." He broke eye contact and stepped around her, leaving her frozen in place in the road between Hakenosia Peak and Palmacosta.

Gave orders to the Desians? Anna could barely process the notion for the several moments she stood rooted to the spot staring after the dark clothed sellsword who continued silently down the road. She swallowed once before putting one foot in front of the other and forcing herself to follow the auburn haired man, they hadn't reached the peak yet and were still well within the patrolling radius of the Palmacosta Ranch.

She mulled the thought over to herself, disregarding the fact that Kratos had said they were after him for the moment. First she had to think on the people leading the Desians. She let her mind wander back to the years she'd spent in human ranch, trying to remember any details from the time she'd spent in Kvar's office, brought up for his, she trembled, personal inspection of her exsphere. She had a vague memory of the other Desians he had spoken to that stood out from your everyday grunt. There was the purple-haired man that sort of resembled a bird, Rodyle, if she remembered correctly. He often called upon Kvar when she was in the room, he seemed even _more_ interested in her exsphere than Kvar. The thought had made her blood run cold at one time, and her heart still skipping a panicked beat despite the leagues between her current location and the Asgard Human Ranch.

She shook off a shiver at the memory before she focused back on the road and the rolling green spotted brown grassy hills around her. Kratos was still walking ahead of her, and Anna glanced around herself quickly, the chill from her thoughts still lingering between her shoulder blades, prickling. Just thinking about the commanders lit a spark of fear inside her. She hastened her steps to a quick jog until she came up beside him, the name of the teal haired woman Kvar had resented so much on her lips.

"Pronyma," she spoke the name clearly and evenly and watched with a prepared and detached sort of amusement as Kratos flinched down to look at her, his was face was drawn into an expression of open surprise that had widened his crimson eyes.

"...What..."

"She was that prick's boss, wasn't she? Pronyma. You said in charge of the Desians, didn't you?" Anna licked her dry lips and watched the mercenary apparent as he visibly collected himself. A swell of pride lingered in her chest at his very visible and very obvious surprise, it was strangely satisfying to throw this man off-kilter.

"I... yes," he nodded before looking down the road ahead of them. "So I did," there was a wry tone in his voice, something akin to, but at the same time, very far from laughter. "I hadn't expected you to know that," he admitted and Anna snorted loudly, black humor curling up her lips. The prickling fear at her back had disappeared the moment she was back within an arm's reach of him. _Well, _she thought dryly, _him and the sword he never takes a hand off of, except to cross his arms._

* * *

><p>Kratos shifted his weight from foot to foot as he walked down the path, his mind scrambling to come up with some sort of half-truth he could tell his companion that both she would believe and he wouldn't feel terrible about telling. He could, if he so chose, lie like the best of them, but more oft than not Kratos chose the lie of omission. He preferred to not <em>technically <em>lie, spinning tales took upkeep that he didn't have the patience for.

"Pronyma's boss is looking for me," Kratos explained smoothly and he checked the young woman's response. Her lips had pursed and her hazel eyes had deepened to a smooth shade of brown in the shadow of her bangs.

"Why?"

Kratos felt a ballooning of mordant amusement in his chest, she was blunt and to the point, as always.

"I..." Kratos stole a glance at her form again and was caught by a sudden inspiration. Really they were running from the same people for much the same reason. "I have something he wants."

"You steal it?" Anna asked, curiously, her eyes alight with a devious sort of hope and he felt a corner of his lips nearly rebel into a smile.

"Yes, when I ran I took it with me." Not technically a lie, what Mithos wanted amounted to his life, after all.

"Good," Anna amended before she let out a deep breath of air as they drifted back into a familiar pensive silence. The only sounds around them were the wind in the tall grass and the occasional chirp of a bird from overhead.

The silence continued for several minutes more until Noishe bounded back over to them, the reed of pampas grass still clutched gently in his mouth. Kratos rose an eyebrow at the arshis who was trotting back to them, his black eyes glinting with what Kratos could only assume was determination. He skipped to a stop a few feet in front of them and Kratos and Anna were forced to stop walking, standing side-by-side as they faced off with the large green and white animal.

Anna had reached forward to take the reed back, but Noishe had leapt out of her reach before sitting back down in front of them. He dropped the grass across the road and whined rather pointedly at Kratos, looking between the reed of grass, Anna and the seraph. Kratos took a deep breath of air and sighed it out, realizing what the protozoan was trying to communicate, he wanted Anna to stay.

Kratos turned his attention from the dog to the young woman who stood at his shoulder. She looked a fair shade better than she had when he had first stumbled across her. Her complexion had evened out and she'd put on both muscle and fat in places that she had desperately needed it, even her hair looked shinier and glinted with a hint of dark gold in the sunlight as he examined her.

"What's up, pup?" Anna had crouched forward in front of Noishe and extended her palm out to him, he licked her hand once before smiling at her and she laughed lightly, her gaze tilting up to him. Kratos pressed his lips together firmly before swallowing the sudden inexplicable lump in his throat. The guilt he bore both of them, the girl and the dog, seemed to settle like rocks in the pit of his stomach. He'd kept Noishe, selfishly, up in Welgaia for near four millennia and this world that had so injured and nearly destroyed Anna was, in part, his creation.

"You can stay," Kratos heard the words leaving his mouth, but he could hardly believe them, and from the look on the young refugee's face, she couldn't either. Her lips were parted slightly, hazel eyes wide and bright, her hair swaying slightly as it fell over her shoulders, the slight breeze disrupting her otherwise motionless figure. His throat felt dry and scratchy as he clarified, "until a better option presents itself." He again swallowed the lump in his throat that refused to go away before stepping gingerly around the protazoan who remained frozen where he had thrown himself on the ground in front of them.

Kratos was left to his thoughts for several moments as he continued walking down the path, a frown tugging at the corners of his lips. This felt wrong, it felt wrong to have someone with him, another human... how long had it been since he'd traveled with a human? Even his previous companions had been half-elves. His thoughts were cut short by the loud scuffling sounds of leather on loose dirt as Anna very nosily rose to her feet and, from the sound of it, half stumbled and half ran her way over to him.

"Thank you," he glanced down at her as she walked at his side, she was all smiles again and he couldn't stifle the sigh that passed from his lips and she looked up at him, her dark brown eyebrows furrowed as he thought of a response.

"You might not be thanking me later..."

"No, but I'll thank you now."

* * *

><p>A reviewer kindly pointed out that I hadn't really addressed Kratos letting her stick around in depth, so I thought I'd try and elaborate a bit. I think part of why it's so hard for me to put his reasons into words is that it's hard for Kratos (himself) to rationalize and I get too into his character when I write. (That's also why the majority of this fic is in his point of view OTL)<p>

I hope it wasn't too filler-ish, but at least Anna has discovered the joys of throwing Kratos off-balance.

You guys have any scenes you'd like to see either now or down the plot a bit further? I make no promises, but I'm always open to kind suggestions.


	7. Rainbow

18. Rainbow

Anna smiled to herself as she twirled the bag she had insisted on taking from Kratos in circles at her side. If he was going to be stubborn about it and not give her anything of importance (or significant weight) to carry she was just going to play with it. She hummed happily as the rope slid around her fingers and a satisfied smirk tugged at her lips when she noticed the mercenary in front of her very subtly flinch. He was just _deliciously_ fun to mess with, as long as you knew when to back off. She stopped her absent twirling of the sack and tucked it over her shoulder with a sigh, well, that game was over.

Her ears twitched softly as she heard a soft whine from behind her and Anna glanced over her shoulder, squinting through the dim green haze that surrounded them. She'd never been in a forest this dense before the barest traces of light snuck in between the thick weave of branches above them and Anna shivered as she toed the moss-covered path in front of her.

It felt forbidden. The trees' trunks were almost touching as they surrounded the barely visible path, closing them in on almost every side. The humidity hung heavily in the air, the moisture trapped by the large swathes of leaves that surrounded her on all sides. Leave it to Kratos Aurion to find a forbidden forest path and lead them through it without so much as blinking. She shivered slightly as she switched her gaze from her new best friend to the man who was leading them on this journey across the forest that stretched between Hakenoisia peak and Hima, just south of the Holy Ground. She hadn't even known a road had ever existed across the mountains.

"What's up, Noishe?" she gently rubbed the oversized dog's head and he whined happily, pressing back against her hand as she smiled down at him. "You think it's creepy here, too?" she asked in a stage whisper and he responded with a soft bark that made a smirk curl its way onto her lips. She didn't care what anyone said, as far as she was concerned, this dog (and she was hardly convinced he _was_ a dog) could talk.

"It's not creepy." Kratos' deep baritone startled her into a jump and Anna swung her gaze forward to spot her enigmatic savoir standing several yards away, hand wrapped around the pommel of his sword as he leaned against the trunk of a large oak. Anna stopped walking and stared at him for several moments, her mouth parting slightly as she watched him lounge. His eyes slide shut and her heart fluttered nervously in her chest. Since when did he speak when it wasn't required? Her eyebrows furrowed as she studied him, her lips dipping into a small, contemplative frown. And since when was he so good looking?

She blinked a few times, a traitor blush burning in her cheeks. Mentally swearing at herself she continued walking forward, desperate to ignore her errant thoughts. No more studying Kratos in forbidden forests, where the dappled and constantly shifting golden sunlight made him almost _glow_. He was good looking enough already.

She stopped walking entirely, a few feet from him, and felt what she was certain was her heart sliding into her stomach, if the sudden sinking sensation was any indication. _Dammit._

She sighed heavily, shifting her gaze down to her boots as she did so, taking several deep, calming breaths. The warm, and nearly damp air wasn't the best help for her efforts to refocus, but after several moments it did the trick. When she straightened again Anna felt her face flush, but this time it was the hot shame of embarrassment that caused her stomach to squirm. Kratos was looking at her as if she had suddenly sprouted wings. One graduated eyebrow was creased into his brow and the other arched so that it disappeared into his bangs.

"Are you... all right?" he seemed, Anna paused as she tried to puzzle out the curious expression on the normally apathetic man's face. He seemed... a little worried, a little confused and, Anna felt the blush burn darker on her cheeks as she noticed a twitch in his right cheek, a little _amused._

* * *

><p>Kratos felt his stomach twist awkwardly as he had to physically bite down on the corner of his lip to keep it from curling up into a smile. The young woman in front of him flustered again as she straightened, the cotton of her tunic rustling. She ran a hand through her hair as she stood across from him, her hazel eyes darting to the forest around them. He felt an eyebrow quirk as he watched her, incredulous. Was she really so concerned about the forest?<p>

"...It's just residual mana," he explained and her gaze snapped to his with an intensity and rapidity that startled him, his heart jumping slightly in his chest.

"What?" She had continued walking, her face scrunching up into an exaggerated expression of confusion and Kratos felt all of the earlier good humor drain from him, annoyance creeping back into his veins.

"Why this place feels forbidden, it's the residual mana from the Tower of Salvation." She blinked at him slowly before nodding her head.

"R-Right," she mumbled, coming to a stop beside him and Kratos leveled her with a glare. She was acting _odd._ Maybe residual mana wasn't as harmless as they'd thought? Yuan _had_ been the one to research the effects of the tower's residual mana, after all.

He took a deep breath of the misty air before turning and continuing down the unused path. He doubted anyone outside of Cruxis even knew that this road had ever existed, which could either prove a very safe route for them or a very dangerous one. He let his hand slide down onto the hilt of his sword again as he sidestepped over a fallen log. A frown pulled down at his lips as he ran an annoyed hand through his hair.

They passed into silence again as Kratos concentrated on listening for anything that might be in the forest aside from the three of them as Anna, from the sound of it, stumbled her way after him. Kratos lifted his head slightly as he caught the distant sound of water on the wind and he stifled a snicker in a cough as his protazoan companion broke out into a run, bumping past Anna and himself. Her startled squawk was his only warning as Kratos spun lightly on his feet and held his arms out, gently bracing the young woman by her shoulders.

Kratos blinked down at the top of her head for a few seconds as she audibly gathered herself, her breaths slowing down, the muscles beneath his hands relaxing.

"...Thanks..." she breathed out as she straightened. Kratos felt a rebellious eyebrow twitch in curiosity, but he decided not to question the sudden pink in her cheeks.

"He likes water," he offered as way of a change of subject and an explanation. Anna's mouth formed a small "o" before her lips twisted into a thoughtful frown.

"There's water nearby?"

"Yes, it's..." Kratos had to stop himself midsentence from explaining exactly _how loud_ the waterfall in the distance was. He glanced back over his shoulder and found her watching, curious, and very clearly waiting for the rest of his explanation. "...More than likely the cause of this humidity," he finished, glancing through his bangs at Anna who had her eyebrows scrunched together, and her lips pouted, but she said nothing as he turned his gaze forward again.

They drifted into an awkward silence this time and Kratos sighed a breath of the hot air, his lips turning down into a frown, he hadn't covered that slip up very well. What was he doing? Just randomly spitting out vaguely relevant information?

"...Why do think the Tower of Salvation disappears?" Anna asked rather suddenly and Kratos glanced down at her, swallowing as the nerves in his stomach tightened, this wasn't exactly a safe topic either. Kratos began to very rapidly sort through his memories, trying to find the lie that they told the denizens of the waning world.

"You mean between Chosens?" he clarified and she nodded her head slowly, squinting suspiciously at the trees that blocked them in on two sides, perhaps even she could perceive some of the mana that weighed down on them.

"Isn't it because the Chosen failed?" Kratos felt a wince tremor across his body as the words left his mouth. He held in a shudder and banished the grim truths of the World Regeneration from his mind. Silently he tucked away the mental image of the bodies suspended in the Tower itself, bidding himself to simply focus on the conversation at hand.

"Well yes," Anna cut across his train of thought with a haphazard sigh as she waved a hand in front of herself. Visually demonstrating what her words had done to his mind, Kratos mused as he felt a quirk of amusement stray to the right corner of his lips again. "But, I don't..." Anna crossed her arms with another expressive puff of air. "Martel isn't very nice."

Kratos choked on a breath of air as he paused his silent march to glance back at her, eyebrows perched curiously on his brow.

"What," she stared at him blankly, one eyebrow furrowing as the corners of her lips turned down in concern. "I didn't think you were a religious man, Mr. Aurion."

To this he snorted, turning himself back around continuing towards the ever-clearer sound of rushing water ahead of them. The ever-present tingle of mana at the small of his back burned slightly sharper. "I'm not, I've just never heard anyone call Martel 'not nice' before."

"A Chosen having to go and die in order to seal away the Desians?" her voice held a frown that Kratos could easily picture in his mind. "I mean, I understand that's what the hero Mithos did, but... it's all very..." he could hear her sleeves flapping dynamically behind him. "_Dramatic_. If Martel's a goddess can't she get rid of the Desians without people _dying_?"

Dramatic was a good way of putting it. Mithos did have a flare for the dramatic...if his Yggdrasil "form" was any indication. Kratos rolled his shoulders before he took a deep breath and glanced over his shoulder at her, she had dropped her arms to her sides again and Kratos sighed. This really wasn't a good topic.

"It's... " he was at a loss for words. Barbaric? Cruel? Uncivilized? Did he even really have a right to criticize what Mithos had put into place anyway? He'd allowed as much.

He was once again saved from answering by the sudden, very loud reappearance of his arshis. Noishe came tumbling through the foliage ahead of them, his green and white coat soaked and mottled with dirt, mud and grass stains.

"Well...Noishe found the water," Anna commented from his side and Kratos blinked once at her and she shrugged a shoulder at him, smirking, before skirting around him and walking up to the dripping and smelly protazoan. "Lead the way!" she commanded with a wide grin and Noishe barked happily several times before trotting off down the barely visible path, Anna picking along carefully behind him.

* * *

><p>Anna felt a hum escape from her lips as the crashing sound of water reached her ears from the distance. The roar of the waterfall was quite unlike the lap of the lake near Luin or the tide of the ocean at the Palmacosta coast. The consistent roar of rushing water was disrupted only slightly by a light gurgling and the faint trickle of escaping trails of water. Anna felt excitement bubble in her throat and tingle down to her toes. It was loud. She grinned before glancing ahead of her to find Noishe waiting for her at a bend in the path. She grinned at him before taking several hurried steps to catch up with him, not quite trusting her ability to jog across the uneven terrain.<p>

Her feet stumbled to a stop beneath her and her jaw dropped as a rush of warm, humid air immediately filled her lungs.

It was amazing.

The large gray rocks of the mountain beside them stood bare against the forest, the loud crashing stream of water flowing endlessly from far above them. Further than she could see bright green moss grew over the rocks, ferns and trees growing as close the water as they could. Even from where she was, at least ten feet away from the pool where the waterfall ended, Anna could feel the gentle spray of the water.

Everything was greenery and rocks with small purple flowers dotting the grassy field that bordered the pond, the rain trees surrounding them on all sides. With a quick glance over her shoulder at Kratos, who had just come through the foliage, his face a blank mask she continued forward, determined not to allow her companion's lack of interest to deter her.

"It's amazing," she whispered to herself as she crept closer to the edge, Noishe coming up beside her as she crouched down near the edge of the pool. The faintest of ripples distorted her reflection as they traveled across the pond's surface, she made a face at it.

"A feat of nature, to be sure." Kratos' statement from beside her caused her heart to leap into her throat and she stared up at him in silence for a few moments, not trusting herself to speak. It felt like someone had punched her in the throat. He was crouched over beside her examining the water's surface as well and Anna felt confusion tug at her brows. Since when was he interested in anything so mundane as _nature_? Since when was he interested in anything? And why was his hearing so damn good?

"How can you always hear-" Anna felt the words get swept back into her chest as she gasped, her hands falling backwards to catch herself, fingers gripping the moss beneath her as she fell back onto her rear. A blur of white and green had launched itself across the moss covered rocks, straight into the mercenary's back.

The spray of water would've been refreshing had she been at all expecting it. Spluttering slightly, she wiped her face off on her arm, the loud joyous barks of a very happy dog-creature echoing around the clearing.

Anna immediately felt the frown on her face as she desperately tried not to laugh. It was probably the hardest thing she'd done of the sort. Never had she wanted so badly to drop everything, fall over and laugh. Kratos Aurion, her chivalrous savior, looked rather like a wet ginger lion as he treaded water with only his head visible above the bright blue water. The wet and sticky locks of his hair had glued themselves to his face, and his expression resembled that of a drowned cat, a very angry drowned cat.

"_Noishe_," Anna felt the urge to laugh ebb away slightly at the dark tone in his deep voice, but Noishe didn't seem to be worried as he doggy paddled circles around his owner. The green and white creature's nonchalance caused a smile to worm its way back onto her features as she spotted something she'd hadn't seen in a long while.

"Oh," the word fell from her lips without her hardly realizing as she stared at the scene in front of her as a whole. Kratos was still treading water in the pond, scowling at his dog as the mist that hung in the air above them shone and shimmered into the small arch of a rainbow. She felt a smile pull up the corners of her lips as she leaned back onto the palms of her hands, the soft moss cushy and cool beneath her fingers. The last rainbow she'd seen had been months before the ranch, and that had been so many years ago.

The water rippled as Kratos swam sideways across the pond, his expression on his face doing very little to make him look less like a very wet and very angry lion. She bit back a snicker, her tongue just barely sneaking out between her lips before she caught herself. Kratos noticed anyway. His scowl darkened and Anna switched her gaze away from him again, basking in the glow of the refracted light as it trickled down through the thick canopy of the greenery overhead and the luminescent rainbow as it glittered over the crystalline pool.

The loud sloshing sound of wet clothing pulled Anna back from her self-imposed trance and she glanced to her left, Kratos' jacket-styled tunic had landed with a loud, wet rumple. Anna stared at it for a few seconds, her mind mulling lazily over how much having soggy clothing would suck. Thinking to tease the grumpy mercenary about this she turned to look up at him as he stood in the ankle deep water at the shore.

Her words left her in that moment as her stomach sank down to somewhere near her knees. All rational thoughtleft her as her mind buzzed silently and the increasingly familiar heat burned its way across her cheeks. Her fingers twitched idly at her sides and she shifted herself so that her knees crossed and her hands gripped the fabric of her skirt for something to do. Stupid, awkward, appendages.

She swallowed thickly before tossing her gaze off to the side, desperate for anything to look at. Anything that was wasn't Kratos in his and his very wet, very see-through, very clingy, undershirt.

_Oh hell._

Her heart skipped what to be an unhealthy amount of beats as the heat burned its way to the tips of her ears.

The rainbow wasn't going to cut it as a distraction anymore.__

* * *

><p>AN: Heh. Well <em>that<em> was fun! Sorry it took so long, I have no excuse! (I have several, they're just not very good.) Let's get some feedback going and we'll see where this relationship goes from here, hmmm?


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